Flint Ridge 10 Mile

 I ACTUALLY RAN A RACE!

And it felt so good!!!

I love trail running, but I don't think I'm very good at it. I'm too cautious. I've done this race once before and I remember really liking it because it was relatively flat and not all that difficult. However, I don't remember all of the horse poop. Holy horse poop!!! I felt like it was a poop obstacle course. 

They did a staggered start by corral and runner. I was in group 3 out of 6, and I probably should have started in a later corral as I kept getting passed. But I was having a pretty good time and just really appreciated the race support and the weather. It felt really good to race again.

And I did better than I did back in 2015! In 2015, I finished the course in 1:49:27. This year I did it in 1:42:43. I placed 12/15 in my division (F 35-39) so I didn't do all that well.  

COVID-19 2020

Because of COVID-19, most races have been cancelled/postponed. I've done 4 virtual races. 

Tenacious Ten (April 4) - - I was really looking forward to doing this race in Seattle. I was supposed to meet up with a friend and we had a whole weekend planned, but obviously that didn't happen. I ran from home to Tower Grove Park and back home. I ran the 10 miles with a time of 1:34:52 (9:29/mi pace). 

Stay Home Virtual Half Marathon (April 18) - - Vacation Races put on a fun virtual event with the following tagline:

Run where you play have to run because you can't go anywhere else right now.

It was only fitting to start and end this race at home (home - Tower Grove Park - Forest Park - Downtown - home). I accidentally went a little long on this one... 14.19 miles. I finished with a 9:46/mi pace.

SeaWheeze - - Super bummed that we weren't in Vancouver this year for our annual SeaWheeze extravaganza! Oh, I missed it so much! But, I ran both distances: the Half Marathon (August 16) and the 10k (August 20). For the Half, we ran the Katy Trail. The Katy can be a big mind game for me, but I actually felt really good! It's like a never ending tunnel! I finished with a 9:36/mi pace (I ran 13.30) - 2:07:48. 

For the 10k, I ran the Forest Park loop. We actually had a cool August morning, so it was very pleasant! Again, I ran a little long (6.36 miles) with a 9:08/mi pace - 58:09. Even though we weren't in Vancouver, lululemon sent me some Vancouver vibes! This is why I love lululemon, they are awesome.

More Catching Up...

On November 8, 2019, we lost our sweet puppy dog Simon. I didn't feel like doing much, but I just kept on running to try to overcome my sadness. I was registered for the Skippo on November 2, 2019 and obviously I didn't make that. Here are some recaps from the races I did make:

Wizard Run - November 23, 2019
I definitely had to do this Harry Potter themed run. The course was in Forest Park. We got to select our shirt color (I went with Gryffindor, duh) and also got a wand. I ran this 5k with a time of 24:58. I grabbed some Butter Beer (yum) and we got in the car to leave, but I thought there was a good chance I could place. I went back to check my place and actually placed 1st in my division (1/176)!

Webster-Kirkwood Turkey Day Run - November 28, 2019
I did the Double Helping again this year, which includes the 3 mile and the 6 mile races. Weather was good, but no course PR(s) for me. I finished the 3 mile race with a time of 25:23 and the 6 mile race in 54:52. I wish they would show how the Double Helpers place each year...

NHL All-Star 5k - January 25, 2020
I decided to go all out for this race. The course was downtown, a course I know very well. I was trying to go for a PR. I even ran with my friend James to help hold pace. We ran the first mile together in 7:42. I knew a big hill was coming and I wasn't going to be able to hold that pace. I told James to go ahead without me. I got an 8:21 on the second mile and an 8:17 on the third. I finished with a time of 25:00... no PR.

Missouri Lottery Run for your Beads 5k - February 15, 2020
Ah, my most favorite race of the year! My home turf. Weather was perfect. I was nervous at the start because I knew I was going to push it and therefore kill myself. I was hoping for a PR, but same story, no PR. BAH! I finished in 25:02. I placed 2nd in my division (out of 109). Runners who place get a lottery ticket. I won $50 on my ticket! Winning! I love the hurricanes at the finish. Mmm!

Catching up...

Run for the Hills 5k
I received a free entry to run this race. This was my first time doing this race. It was held on September 21, 2019 and it was still a bit warm outside. My favorite thing about this race are the shirts! They have a Blues theme and are super cute. I felt pretty good for the first two miles and the third mile was pretty tough. I pulled back on that third mile, but I'm still happy with my split.

Mile 1: 8:00
Mile 2: 8:24
Mile 3: 8:33

I finished with a time of 25:47 (8:18 pace). I placed 5/32 in my division.

Blue Note 5k
This race was held in Forest Park. I signed up because you could add on super cool Blues goodr sunglasses. Yes, please! I don't think I've ever ran such a large 5k race here in St. Louis before. There was a ton of people (4,000 runners)!! The best part of this race was getting a photo with the Stanley Cup before the start! I was a bit too conservative on the downhill portions... I just didn't care to push it. I just wanted to make sure I ran the uphill segments, which I did! I really liked the medal too... It was the Stanley Cup :). Go Blues!

Mile 1: 8:31
Mile 2: 8:15
Mile 3: 8:23

I finished with a time of 26:32 (8:32 pace). I placed 28/672 in my division. Top 95.8%!

Arches Half Marathon
This race has been on my bucket list for years. You run a segment of UT-128, which is one of the most beautiful scenic roads in America. We started this trip in Santa Fe. I didn't worry about the elevation until I ran 3 little miles in Santa Fe (roughly 7,000 ft above sea level) and felt like death. Then I started to get pretty scared about running 13.1 miles in Moab (4,000 - 6,000 ft). I did some more short runs on the treadmill at our hotel in Santa Fe and it got slightly better, but I had to slow down my pace considerably. Looking back, I'm so happy we started our trip in Santa Fe so I had time to adjust to the altitude. I told myself to take it easy, walk at the water breaks, heck, walk if I needed to.

The day starts super early. We had to be at the shuttle pick up location by 6:30 am. Then they shuttle you up river, drop you off a little after 7 am. Then you wait in the cold until the race starts at 8:30 am. They did have fire pits and hot chocolate. I didn't want to take off my warm clothes and drop my bag until last minute, and then it turned into a rush to get my bag into the van. I made it with not a lot of time to spare!

I loved this race! Especially the first half. It was all pretty much downhill and the scenery was epic! The last half was much more challenging! Super hilly... pretty much in full sun. I'd see a hill in the distance and get a bit worked up, but then I kept reminding myself how amazing it is to be able to run this course and that I was okay. I ran every bitch hill! It may have been a slow climb, but I did it. I ran the entire course, walked the water breaks, and I felt good. When I crossed the finish line I kept coughing, I think because of the altitude. It seems like a lot of other people were doing the same. We finished at a ranch and it was so beautiful. I finished with a time of 02:05:58. I'm super happy with this time! I don't ever expect much on vacation races.

KT82

KT82 - June 1, 2019

I'm finally blogging about the "KT82"... which turned into the SIU-E Cross Country Relay. A couple of days before the race, the director announced that they had to move the race off of the Katy because of flooding and instead of cancelling, they decided to move it across the 'other' river into Illinois on the SIU-E cross country course. Instead of traveling with the runner, we'd be stationed at a base camp.

We all had to park in a parking lot and then we'd be shuttled to the base camp. We kept joking that this was like the Fyre Festival because there was a long ass line to drop supplies on a truck and another long ass line to get on the shuttle... it just seemed like a cluster. We sent our first two runners on the shuttle while we waited to put our supplies onto the truck. We made it to the base camp about the same time that our first runner finished. We finally got set up and then it was a pretty good time!

My first two legs were on the Madison County Trails. Pretty flat... I felt good during my first 4 mile leg. Got through my second leg, a 6 miler, pretty okay too. The last leg was actually on the cross country course and that was challenging. My legs were tired and the grass was longer so I was unsure about my footing. Team was awesome as always!

SeaWheeze 2019

I just ran my 8th SeaWheeze! This is my absolute favorite race. Lululemon really goes all out and makes each and every runner feel special. This year we stayed at the Fairmont Pacific Rim. It was so amazing. I feel like now I have to stay there every year. Great room, great location, and lots of perks like free bike rental and juices for the race. The pool was just okay... I much prefer the pool at Westin Bayshore or the Four Seasons. But everything else was top notch!

We arrived on Wednesday around midday and went straight to Cactus Club Cafe, my fav! I might have got a bit too drunk... I all of a sudden really wanted to go on a sea plane. We went to our hotel concierge to book a tour, but they were full for the rest of the evening, but we were able to book a tour first thing the next day. We got some bikes from the hotel and biked around Stanley Park. Another one of my favorite things to do in Vancouver!

Thursday morning we went on our sea plane tour. I was now sober and a bit scared to fly, but it was so much fun and not as scary as I thought. It was comforting for me to be able to see the pilot. We got to see a lot of Vancouver!

After the sea plane tour, we grabbed the hotel bikes and biked False Creek. We run a bit of this bike route during the race... but I haven't been on several segments. It was really nice! Also, it was way less busy than Stanley Park, which can be overwhelming busy at times.

Thursday afternoon I went to Boob Truth. I thought I was going to get measured for a sports bra, but instead they put a sensor on my chest and then I had to run for 1 minute. They showed me the movement of my boobs and then recommended a few sports bras. It was okay. We then grabbed our race packets and that was super easy. We got the usual - a bag, water bottle, some nuun, and new this year... a race bib. We also got some freebies - the Sage peppermint halo and a couple of new lulu products: dry shampoo (for me) and deodorant (for Josh, but really for me). I also got to see the LegaSea wall with all of our names on it. I love being a part of this group!!

Friday is my favorite part of SeaWheeze (this is basically my Christmas - - in terms of being a kid and being super excited for Santa to come). I got the first wave to get in line - 6 am. I was originally in the first wave, which was 6:15 am, but they moved several people into a new 6 am wave because I guess too many people were in the 6:15 am wave. I got in line around 5:15 am and of course there was already a line forming. They let us into the building around 5:45 am and we waited there until 6:45 am. I have never been this far up in the line before... it was great! I was in the first wave into the store. As we were entering the store, we were greeted by the race pacers and it was so so awesome. I gave so many high-fives! I grabbed everything that I thought I wanted and then waited for them to call my group for the reflective gear (which was also new this year, they gave us a card with a group name. We had to wait for our group to be called to get in line for reflective. I think I was group 3 or 4). I got the reflective clothes that I wanted and then had to go figure out what to put back.

Josh ended up getting some reflective too!

After shopping, we went to the same place we go every year after shopping... Cafe Crepe. It's our tradition. Then back to PreWheeze to get my hair braided and my nails painted. This year we had to register for a time to do this, and it was such a breeze! I usually don't do it because the lines are way too long. After that it was yoga with Ryan Leir. Ryan Leir made me fall in love with yoga. This year has been rough for me because of my neck injury and I have literally done ZERO yoga this year. I can't believe this when I say it out loud. I used to be so devoted to my practice. So anyways, this yoga session with Ryan Leir was really special to me.

We had dinner at our favorite restaurant (CCC) and then it hit me that I had to run 13.1 miles the next day... ugggg. I was not in the running mood at all. I tried to go to bed early, but it wasn't easy.

Race morning breakfast was 5 timbits from Tim Hortons. Not a lot of food. I should have planned this out a bit better. Race weather was okay. It was cloudy and not too hot or cold. I really wanted a sub 2 hour race. I started off okay and thought I was running fast, but every time I looked at my watch I wasn't really moving fast. I guess my legs were tired from all the pre-race biking.

Obligatory Race Photo

I'm not exactly sure when I fell apart... but I experienced random bouts of pain during the majority of the race. Really sore left shoulder, painful right knee, stomach pinch, felt kind of puke-ish at times. I just wanted to give up basically the whole race. But I was strong mentally, so I have to give myself credit there. My motivation - - I did NOT want Josh to beat me. We started at the same time and I knew he wasn't too far behind me (when I saw him at mile 5.5 at the turn around point). I was going to be pissed if he passed me. Finally around mile 11.5 I allowed myself to walk up this bitch hill. I just didn't have much energy left. I'm not exactly sure how I got to the finish... if I walked a bit, but I'm certain I ran most of it. I finished with a time of 02:05:47, which is not a course PR, but it's my second best.

For whatever reason, this course is super hard for me. I think it's because of how congested it is so you are constantly weaving to pass people. It makes it tough. Also, I wasn't very well nourished. Oops. It's always hard for me to get enough food morning of a race during race vacations. I need to be better at that.

After the race, it was more biking and a lot more eating! Sunday morning we had planned to do Grouse Grind, but we both woke up with very sore legs. So that was a big fat nope! Instead we got the hotel bikes out and biked Stanley Park again. It was early enough so it wasn't too busy. Weather was beautiful too.

I love SeaWheeze. See you next year for #9!

Race recaps from previous SeaWheezes:
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012

Catching up...

I've been horrible at blogging. I know I'm the only person that reads this blog, which is fine because I really only blog about these races for me. So here we go...

Kirkwood-Webster Turkey Trot(s) - November 22, 2018
I again did the Double Helping, both the 3-mile and 6-mile races. I managed to get a course PR on both legs!! I even talked Josh into doing the 3-mile race with me this year. 

3-mile: 24:15
6-mile: 51:11

St. Patrick's Day Parade Run - March 16, 2019
I tried again for a course PR... didn't happen. I could blame it on extreme neck pain that I've been experiencing since December 31st... sucks. I also didn't do the Run for your Beads 5k during Mardi Gras and I LOVE that race. Anyways, I didn't start fast enough to get a course PR. 

Mi 1 - 8:00
Mi 2 - 8:09
Mi 3 - 8:33
Mi 4 - 8:24
Mi 5 - 8:08

I know, not bad and this is such an improvement from 3-4 years ago. 

2019: 41:40
2018: 41:17
2017: 41:16
2015: 45:37
2014: 46:19
2012: 1:01:09

London Landmarks Half Marathon - March 24, 2019
Now this race probably deserves it's own post... I LOVED THIS RACE. Everything about it. I got in on a lottery. I guess they didn't think someone from St. Louis would go to London for a race. They mailed the race bib and shirt a week or so before the race. There was no expo, which I liked because I didn't want to add that to the list of things to do in London. 

Obviously, we walked a ton around London the days before the race. There was also a huge Brexit protest the day before the race... roughly 1 million people out protesting. The night before the race, there were still a lot of people in Trafalgar Square, which was where our hotel was and where the race would start the next morning. The morning of the race, it was like a new day. The trash was all cleaned up, a big blue sky (which was the first blue why we had seen in London. Luckily, we didn't get rain during our entire trip!). 

The race start was a bit different for me. We all kinda hung around Trafalgar Square until it was our time to go. I was in wave 3: the Mexican wave. I didn't quite understand the Mexican part... the other waves included things like cheetah, diamond, chocolate, etc. Anyways, they called the Mexican wave and off I went to the start line.

I thought there would be different start times since there were 7 waves all with its own start times. Nope... there was one start gun and off we all went. The race course zig zagged all around London. I absolutely loved this course. There were so many people out cheering for the runners, mainly because this is a huge charity race, but I never once got bored. Also, the route was pretty flat so it just felt easy. Plus there was so much to look at! I went into this race telling myself to not push it. It's a vacation race so there was no need to go all out. 

I ended up finishing with a time of 1:56:55, which is not a PR but I feel a very good time for a vacation race. 

I would love to do this race again, but the lottery is quite competitive. 

MoDOT Work Zone Awareness 5k - April 13, 2019
5k's are incredibly tough. If I could pick between a half marathon and a 5k, I'd pick the half marathon. I went into this race wanting to place. The route is super hilly and well, rather boring. It's along the I-64 outer roads. However, the roads were closed exceptionally well being a MoDOT run race and all. The race started at the MoDOT Transportation Management Center so that's pretty neat for people that have never been there (lots of cameras showing road conditions across the region). 

The first half of the race was glorious. Mainly downhill and I was flying! 

Mi 1: 7:27
Mi 2: 7:52

Then... we had lots of hills to climb. Ugh, I wanted to give in and walk but I also really wanted to place. 

Mi 3: 8:34 (blah, but at least I was still in the 8s).

I ended up placing first in my division (F 30-39)! 1/15, so I'm super proud of myself. I finished with a time of 24:53, which is also a 5k PR (previous PR was a 24:57). 

Quivering Quads II - 2018

This was my third QQII and the second on this course. I love the course! It's very picturesque and there aren't too many hills! It is somewhat challenging though because you run right by the lake and you can fall in if you trip on a rock or branch.

I finished 26 minutes faster than the last time I did this race (2016).

Time: 1:25:18 (10:31/mile). I'm pretty happy with my pace for this trail run!

I am running the Skippo this weekend, but looks like rain may be in the forecast. I hope the trails don't get too muddy!

The Great Go! Halloween Half Marathon - 2018

Today's half marathon was number 36!! This is my fourth time running the Halloween Half, and this is usually a faster race for me. I know the course well and I've been able to PR on this course. Home court advantage! Anyways, weather was good, although a bit on the chilly side. I layered up and ran in a short sleeve for the majority of the race.

I decided I wasn't going to push it... especially since for the last month I hadn't really got a lot of miles in. I checked my pace after each mile and I was pleasantly surprised with myself. I was hanging around the 8:50s to 9:00 minute miles. Around mile 10, my knee started to hurt and then I finally checked my time at mile 12 and was happy to see that I was going to make it to the finish line under 2 hours. I ended up PR'ing the course with a sub-2 hour time (01:56:28 - 8:56 pace).

SeaWheeze 2018

Another year, another SeaWheeze!!

We arrived on Wednesday and the weather was lovely! Blue skies, nice temps. Rain had been in the forecast all week for basically our entire trip. So we took advantage of the blue sky and biked around Stanley Park.

The rain was expected midday Thursday so we made our way up to Grouse Mountain early in the morning to do the Grouse Grind. Very smart to do before a half marathon. We did it last year in the rain, and I really wanted to do it again sans rain. It's a hard climb!! We also overdressed because we thought we'd get rained on eventually. Also, I saw Chip Wilson at the trailhead. I wanted to get my photo with him, but you could tell by the conversation he was having with two other gentlemen that he didn't want to be bugged. He was "listening to his book audio" on the way up.

We got back to Vancouver City and then the rain started... I guess you can say that we got the real Pacific Northwest experience. We've been blessed with nice weather pretty much every time that we are here. After a little shopping, we made our way to packet pick-up and that was super easy.

I decided to volunteer this year, and I did that on Thursday evening. I mostly did it to gain a new SeaWheeze experience. Volunteers also receive a pin and a shirt. I took photos for 4 hours. I think people were mislead and believed me to be a "professional photographer," but I was basically thrown the camera and was told to take photos. It would have been nice to know the camera a bit better. Lighting also got difficult in the evening, so then again I had to figure out the best setting. I also received a lot of questions that I couldn't fully answer and I had one lady vent her frustration to me about not receiving the race shorts. I enjoyed volunteering, but I felt like I didn't have all the information to a) take photos and b) answer questions.

Now the SeaWheeze showcase store... and this one irks me. I LOVE the SeaWheeze and I LOVE the clothes. But this is the only part of SeaWheeze that makes me not want to do it anymore. I liked the fact that people had to register for a time to entire the store. I thought that was a fair process, even though it was a nightmare to even get on the site to register. I also liked the fact that I didn't have to wake up super early to get in a line, especially since it was raining. I woke up naturally around 4:30 am (since I'm still stuck on central time) and I started to read posts that people were already lining up.

They said NO LINES this year... if you arrive early you will be kindly told to leave. I knew that people were already in the "6:30 am line" that had later time slots, so I made my way to the convention center. I got in line and then I felt guilty that people with the 6:30 am slot were behind me, so I jumped out of line. I did that twice. They need to have better line management... I eventually got to pass people with later time slots to get in the store, but if you didn't hear what they were yelling, you were shit out of luck. I HATE this FOMO mentality. The store was crazy. So many people. It was annoying for me because I wear two different sizes, and both sizes were on opposite ends and I had to cut through a lineup of people that were waiting for reflective gear. That being said, I do love what I picked up in the store. I got exactly what I had my eye on, plus a jacket that I probably don't need. When I got out of the store, I seriously felt like a zombie. I didn't participate in the yoga this year... I wanted to do the noon session, but I was just too tired.

The run... I'm dealing with an injury (lower back and hammy). It basically started after the Iceland half in June and has been lingering ever since. Plus all the walking, biking, and hiking made my body even more sore and tired. There was a light drizzle for the first mile or so, and then it turned into a hard rain. Even though I was bummed that it was raining, it was nice to be in Vancouver during a different time of the year. I loved the fall foliage.

I had such a good run last year, so I was hopeful this year would be good too, but it just sort of sucked. My legs felt tired, the seawall was hard... I never felt 100% at any point. Around mile 10 I started to feel queasy and then I got scared that I was going to be sick the rest of the day. But the rain was clearing, and I decided to walk a little to let my heart rate go down. Walking actually made me feel better, and then I did a walk/run to the finish line. The course is super crowded from start to finish. I think all of the weaving makes it more tiring as well. I didn't PR the course, but I did get my second best finish.

I always love SeaWheeze weekend. It still is my favorite running event, I think I just need to stop caring about the showcase store so I can fully enjoy it.

Race recaps from previous SeaWheezes:
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012

Need for Speed 2018

I was doing well with speed work until we went to Iceland. After Iceland, I didn't go to one single session. Therefore, I wasn't expecting much of myself at this race. I told myself that I was going to run up the God awful hill, but otherwise I wasn't going to push it. We did have very nice weather for the event, so that was a bonus.

There is this nice long downhill during the 1st mile. I was pretty conservative because I didn't want to tire myself out to get back up the damn hill. First mile was a 7:51. I knew I could have ran that faster, but again, I wanted to get up the hill. Second mile was an 8:02. Okay, not bad. Definitely not negative splits. The 3rd mile is always the toughest. I kept wanting to walk and I'd start to talk myself into it, but I just pushed and ran the entire sucker. Third mile was an 8:25, which I think it rather impressive on tired legs and a long climb. I finished the 5k with a time of 25:31, which was a minute faster than last year's race!!!

I'm pretty sure I have drool coming out of my mouth here... Another awesome finish photo!

Midnight Sun Half Marathon - Iceland

I'm writing about this one a few days late... I think I'm finally over my jet lag!

My husband and I have been wanting to visit Iceland for a very long time. We finally decided that 2018 was the year and of course I had to see if there were any interesting half marathons that we could do. I found the Midnight Sun Half Marathon and thought it sounded unique. Plus, I've never done an evening half marathon. We flew into Iceland a week before the race and toured waterfalls, glaciers, ice caves, and fjords along the ring road.

I didn't want to do this race... it was raining and cold, plus I was hungry and tired. Never a good mix. I kept trying to talk Josh into just doing the 10k race, but he kept pushing us to do the half. The race starts at 9 pm and I honestly just wanted to be in bed. But I knew that I'd regret it if I didn't do it.

I also didn't know what to expect about the race course. I read from the race website that it was challenging and demanding. Hmmmm, yah, that scared me too. Well, after the first mile I realized that I overdressed. We were running on road and then we moved to a biking/walking path. It was lovely!! We were running alongside small waterfalls and the lupine.

The course had rolling hills, and there were some pretty steep climbs between miles 3 and 7. Also, at one point it got pretty windy and I was so cold. But we also had an amazing downhill between miles 7 and 8. Then it was relatively tame, but I was so so hungry and so so tired. At one point, I was running with my eyes shut.

I pretty much hit the wall around mile 11. My right hip flexor was bugging me and I also started to feel nauseous. I finished with a time of 2:10:39. I'll take it. I walked quite a bit those last two miles. As I was coming towards the finish line, I heard Bonnie Tyler singing Total Eclipse of the Heart. There was a music festival going on close to the finish line and I thought that was pretty fun. I wish I could have enjoyed the finish area better, but I wasn't feeling so hot. I'm not sure if I just allowed myself to get too hungry or if I was dehydrated, but I was dry heaving. They give you free entry to the geothermal pool close to the finish line, and I'm bummed that we didn't get to go. Anyways, this is the most beautiful course that I've ever run. I also love some rolling hills! Just wish that I put more food in my belly before the race started!!

Summer Running

Make Tracks Through the Zoo: I signed up for this race because we got to run through the zoo! Right before the race started, the weather looked pretty threatening. Thunder and lightning. The rain cleared before the start, but then it was super humid. And the race had some mega hills. I enjoyed running through the zoo; the giraffes were very curious! I finished the 5k with a time of 26:58, a pace of 8:41. I also placed 14/283 in my division F 35-39!

KT82: This was my third time running the KT82 relay and it's a full day! It starts with a 4:35 am pick up and ends with a 10:30 pm drop off. The race took about 13.5 hours to complete. I had three legs and ran 13.35 miles total.

Leg 1 - I started out way too fast. My first mile was a 7:52. 3.2 miles total with an 8:11 pace.

Leg 2 - It had just started to rain and it actually felt cold. The first three miles were on the Katy and then we entered single track in Klondike Park. I would have liked the single track more if it wasn't muddy. I HATE MUD. 

1-8:20. 

2-8:21. 

3-8:41. 

4-14.3. HAHAHAH. I was very cautious on that single track. 

The last 0.93 was pretty much a steep downhill. IT HURT. 4.93 miles total with a 10:05 pace. 

Leg 3 - The last leg. I was happy that it was the last leg, but my legs were dead and I was tired. I played mental games and just tried to get through each mile. I ran through the first three miles and then I took a 10 second walking break when I hit the third, fourth, and fifth miles. I thought this leg was six miles and I told myself I'd run/walk that last mile. I knew at the end of my leg we'd exit the Katy and talk a steep uphill to the Lost Creek Winery. To my surprise (and happiness), this leg was actually only 5.2 miles!! I was so grateful when I saw people exiting the Katy at that fifth mile. 5.22 miles with a 9:22 pace. 

The 82 Problems but the KT Ain't One team finished with a time of 13:28:11. Another fun year with an awesome team!

Next Race: Next stop... Iceland!!

St. Patrick's Day Parade Run 2018

I was hoping to have a PR (actually, I was hoping to come in under 40 minutes)... but I was two seconds short off my PR. I was too conservative on the Market Street hill. I also overdressed and was super warm for the majority of the race.

Mile 1: 7:49
Mile 2: 8:09
Mile 3: 8:45
Mile 4: 8:15
Mile 5: 8:11

I finished with a time of 41:17.

Overall: 579/4538
Female: 133/2442
F 35-39: 20/402

Little Rock Half Marathon

I didn't know much about this race, only that the race medals are pretty sweet (and huge). Plus Little Rock is only a 5 hour drive from St. Louis.

Expo: I was a bit frustrated at the expo because I had absolutely no idea where to go. I would have appreciated some wayfinding inside the Statehouse Convention Center. I wandered around for a few minutes before I realized you had to go downstairs. Once I actually found the correct area, it was super easy to get bib and shirt.

Race Shirt: I thought the race shirt was okay... Mine had a printing error, and I wasn't a huge fan of the fit. And what's with women shirts always having a v-neck. I'm over it.

Race: I wasn't too happy about the corral starting area. My corral was covered by a building. Before I entered the corral, it was such a pretty sunrise... but then I couldn't see it. I also couldn't see the start line, so it was just kind of blah. I thought they would do a phased start. I was in corral C, so I thought I had time to get my music set. NOPE. I actually stepped to the side of the start line to get my stuff in line.

Race start.

It's always both scary and exciting to not know the course. I enjoyed running around downtown Little Rock and over the Arkansas River to North Little Rock, but miles 5 through 9 were just kind of, um, ugly. It was an industrial area, and I seriously was like... pretend that this is Monterey Bay and you're running alongside the ocean. It was also threatening rain, and I normally like rain, but the weather folks had it ALL wrong. I checked the weather daily for a good week leading up to the race. No rain. Friday, the local news meteorologist said that rain will move in during the late afternoon. Then Saturday night, they said there was a chance for light rain during the race. GRRR. I typically like running in the rain, but I have to be prepared. Heavy rain started falling around mile 9, and it lasted pretty much until the end of the race. I didn't have a hat, my shorts were chaffing my thighs, I feared for my phone. They had all this yummy food (and beer) along the course, like grilled pineapple (yum!), but I didn't want to mess with it since it was raining.

I thought the lipstick station right before the finish line was fun! I was a bit confused at first... were they going to put lipstick on us for a sweet finish line photo? Nope, they were handing out lipstick or gloss!

I almost had a PR! I finished in 1:55:57. I'm not going to say it was an easy run, but it wasn't hard. I didn't intend to PR since this was my first half marathon this year.

Mile 1: 8:36
Mile 2: 8:24
Mile 3: 8:30
Mile 4: 8:39
Mile 5: 8:30
Mile 6: 8:35
Mile 7: 8:47
Mile 8: 8:43
Mile 9: 8:59
Mile 10: 8:57
Mile 11: 9:07
Mile 12: 9:00
Mile 13: 9:05

Finish Area: This was super impressive. I liked that it was inside the Convention Center and it was super organized. I was so thirsty, and they had so many options!! I got water, OJ, 2 different chocolate milks, Diet Coke, and a Michelob Ultra. They also had pasta which looked delicious, but I was too cold and wet so I didn't want to eat. I loved that they had seating in the finish area.

What I loved most about this race is that I did NOT have those pre-race jitters. I'm hoping for a PR at my next half marathon (whenever that will be, hopefully before Iceland).

Mardi Gras Run for your Beads 5k

This race took place on February 3. I've been really lazy at blogging. I know nobody reads this blog besides myself, but I really like being able to look back at how I felt during a certain race. So I'm going to keep on.

This race in particular was really big for me. It was the first time that I placed!!! I ended up getting second in my age group (2/77), and I didn't even PR. If I did PR, I would have gotten first place.

I know the course well... I had been outside running in cold temps (like single digits). It wasn't THAT cold for this race, but I felt well prepared.

2018

I just realized that I never blogged about the Webster-Kirkwood Turkey Day Run (November 23, 2017). I decided again to run the 3 mile race and the 6 mile race. I was a little under the weather for the race, but it's always one of my favorites. The 3 mile starts at 7:30 am, and then the 6 mile race starts at 8:10 am. It is a bit challenging because you have basically enough time to cool down before the 6 mile race starts. Anyways, I didn't push it, but still felt good out there.

3 mile race:
25:51
8:34 min/mile
Female 35-39: 24/233

6 mile race:
53:03
8:51 min/mile
Female 35-39: 33/82

Which brings me to 2018... I'm not signed up for any races, but I have a few planned:

ICELAND, the midnight sun half marathon
SeaWheeze??? (will I have FOMO??)
Moab??? (this one is on my bucket list)

Monterey Bay Half Marathon

This race has been on my bucket list for a while now, mainly because of the medal. Since I ran a half the week before, I made sure to rest my legs. We bummed around Big Sur and it's beautiful!

Since this was a vacay race, I told myself to just run an easy pace and not kill myself. Plus I wasn't so sure about the race course. I figured it would be mostly flat.

I wasn't sure why I was in corral C. There were quite a few corrals, and I was just surprised to be up front. Turns out though I was in the perfect corral. My first mile was an 8:12 and my second mile was an 8:15. Holy smokes! I was feeling good and I didn't waste energy trying to pass people. I knew I needed to slow it down a bit, and told myself to stay under a 9:00 min pace. Mile 4 had a pretty good uphill portion, and that was tough, but I managed to run through it. The course wasn't hilly, but it wasn't flat. It was my most favorite type of course. Rolling hills that aren't too bad, but there's a chance to catch your breath on some of the downhills. I was doing really well keeping it in the 8s.

Mile 1: 8:12
Mile 2: 8:15
Mile 3: 8:43
Mile 4: 8:50
Mile 5: 8:42
Mile 6: 8:44
Mile 7: 8:36
Mile 8: 8:42
Mile 9: 8:50
Mile 10: 8:42
Mile 11: 8:59
Mile 12: 8:38
Mile 13: 9:09 (grrrr)

I figured if I kept it in the 8s I would PR. I realized at the last mile that I could come in at 1:55, which was much better than I expected. I was feeling super tired, but I tried to push it. My official time was 1:55:05. I felt like death in the end, but I can't believe I ran a half marathon at an 8:47 pace!! I never thought it was possible.

Skippo / Saint Louis Half Marathon

I haven't done a back to back race since, well, Dopey. I wasn't signed up for either of these races about a week ago, however, Skippo wasn't sold out and the weather was looking great! I figured, why not! And then I've been wanting to run the Saint Louis Half Marathon, but I was waiting to see what the weather was going to do. Looked lovely, so why not!

Skippo: Weather was on the warm side... but there was cloud cover and it was just a fun race. I tried to run fast on the flats. I knew I'd lose time on the stairs and cardiac hill. Overall, I felt really good! And this is my fastest Skippo yet! I finished with a time of 1:03:51. That's about a 10 minute course PR!

Saint Louis Half Marathon: Today was hot. And my legs were so sore. They took quite a pounding at the Skippo. The first three miles were so tough. I just wanted to give up. I didn't know how I was going to run 13 miles. So I tried to find an easy pace. Which wasn't so easy:

Mile 1: 8:43
Mile 2: 8:51
Mile 3: 8:36

Yikes! We entered Forest Park and it was pretty warm out, but there was cloud cover so that was good. My lungs were feeling fine... but my legs were so tight. It wasn't until mile 5 or so where my legs didn't feel as heavy. But I was still cruising at a pretty good pace. I kept telling myself that I could walk the hills if needed, but when I hit the hills, I gave it my best.

Mile 4: 9:03
Mile 5: 8:51
Mile 6: 8:54
Mile 7: 9:13
Mile 8: 9:02
Mile 9: 8:59
Mile 10: 8:57

Then we exited Forest Park and had to run up Forsyth. It was tough. I thought I was going to have to walk it, but I didn't. I just kept at it. Then I figured out that I could get a sub-2 hour half. So that motivated me to keep running to the finish.

Mile 11: 9:42 (Forsyth Hill)
Mile 12: 9:29
Mile 13: 9:17

My legs felt like jello as I approached the finish line. I ended up running the entire course (except water stations), and I finished with a sub-2 hour race!! It wasn't a PR, but it was close. I finished with a time of 1:59:01.

I have another half marathon next Sunday. I imagine my legs will still be pretty tired. And I don't know the route, so there's that. Could be good, could be bad, we'll see!